29 November 2001
As we mark World AIDS Day on 01 December, the South African Communist Party (SACP) emphasises the need to continue with work to destigmatise HIV/AIDS amongst all our people. This is critical to ensure that as a country we take urgent, effective and decisive steps to sustainably address the HIV/AIDS pandemic. We can no longer afford the denial of this pandemic and the poverty of the policies and practices followed by major institutions including banks, insurance companies, and other financial institutions on HIV/AIDS.
The SACP feels that the private sector in SA is not doing enough to fight this HIV/AIDS pandemic. In fact, the private sector has largely left this challenge to government and community organisations. The private sector holds massive resources which can be mobilised as part of the effort to fight HIV/AIDS. In this regard and as part of the SACP-led campaign to transform and diversify the financial sector, the SACP is calling for a full audit of HIV/AIDS policies in the financial sector in order to address the endemic HIV/AIDS based discrimination in this sector. This audit must be part of preparations for the NEDLAC Summit on the Financial Sector due to be held in March 2002.
No one in our country can afford to deny the terrible extent of the HIV/AIDS pandemic of the 40 million people living with HIV/AIDS in the world, more than 4 million are in South Africa. Even this 4 million is increasing with massive daily infections (a minimum of 1700 daily new infections) being recorded. UNAIDS reported that at least 2 million people died from HIV/AIDS related illnesses in Africa for the year 2000 and this figure is rising. In other words, already in all of Africa, HIV/AIDS kills more people than those killed by war and all other diseases prevalent in the continent.
The impact of HIV/AIDS on our country and continent is already devastating. Millions of people will suffer poor health and lead miserable lives. Family structures, networks and communities will break down and be decimated. Women will face the increased burden of care and support. Social services will be stretched. Public resources will not cope. Many workers will get sick and unproductive. Economic performance and output will suffer. Economic growth will slow down. We will lose political leaders and many skilled people. In other words, the epidemic will have an immense impact on families, communities, the working class and the poor, the economy, the public health system and social services.
We need to act now. We need to use every tool at our disposal, from education and prevention to treatment, to address this national emergency. The rate of new infections can be drastically reduced through a mass campaign of public education, openness, care and support for people and families living with HIV/AIDS. However, only real development and a radical improvement in literacy, housing provision and employment when combined with an effective mass campaign can produce this result. A mass campaign cannot on its own produce low rates of infection. Only real development, aimed at poverty eradication, can do this. But even in our bleak context, we need the optimism of a forward-looking mass campaign.
The SACP is making HIV/AIDS a top priority in its work. We call on all South Africans, government, religious leaders, political leaders, trade unions, women, workers, young people, and all civil society organisations to do the same by integrating HIV/AIDS work as an integral part of their overall work. We call on HIV/AIDS organisations and activists to join us in this regard. In the short-term we must act to prevent new HIV infections and ensure that people with HIV/AIDS get life-prolonging and effective treatment. This includes the development of a government-led national treatment plan that takes forward our victory against the drug companies in April.
CONTACT
Mazibuko Kanyiso Jara (surname Jara)
Department of Media, Information and Publicity
South African Communist Party
Tel - 011 339 3621
Fax - 011 339 4244
Cell - 082 886 3528
Email - sacp1@wn.apc.org